Tuesday, February 09, 2010

While we were still sinners...

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (Rom 5:8-11)

While we were still sinners...

We are not sinners anymore. As this passage says, we have now been justified, and we have now received the reconciliation. We don't stand in relation to God as sinners, but rather as righteous, as justified, as reconciled. We are no longer dead in our sins, we are dead TO sin. We were sinners, and Christ died for us. We are now addressed and identified as sons of God, as saints, as holy and sanctified.

While we were still sinners...

We were enemies. We were subject to the wrath of God. This doesn't mean that God didn't still passionately love us and pursue us! Wrath and love are not incompatible and they are not opposing ends of the spectrum of who God is. In fact, while we were still sinners, and while we were enemies and while we were subject to the wrath of God, Christ DIED for us. There is no greater life than for someone to lay down his life for another. God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were still sinners...

Now, we are not sinners anymore. We are holy, sanctified, justified, righteous, reconciled saints. Our actions don't always line up with the reality of who we ARE now, but that doesn't change who we are. And if while we were still sinners God demonstrated His love in such a huge way, why would we ever think that as the legitimate sons of God that we are now, He would ever love us (or demonstrate that He loves us) any less!

Rest assured, you are loved. You are passionately loved and pursued constantly by your heavenly Father. He is never angry with you or disappointed in you. His focus is WHO He made you to be. He is VERY PLEASED with who He made you to be! Let's think of ourselves more like God thinks of us, eh?!